Winton M Blount III

Winton Blount III, a former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party and candidate for governor, has died. Blount was 71, according to Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, his former business partner. Blount and Strange had car dealerships and other businesses together from 1990 to 2001. In 1998, Blount challenged Gov. Fob James in the Republican primary. He forced James into a runoff, but James prevailed. Blount also served as chairman of the Business Council of Alabama in 1989. Blount's father, Winton "Red" Blount, was also a Republican Party leader, serving as U.S. Postmaster General under President Nixon. "Red" Blount built an international construction company and was known for his philanthropy, including the funding of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery.